Fay Bateson's story about Alone Together

Perhaps it was the personal resonance of the title which attracted me, reflecting, as it did, how my own life felt. After twenty years of increasing unhappiness I had reached a point in my marriage where reading about a relationship which demonstrated compromise and caring offered an escape from the reality of my situation. My personal life did not mirror the successful career which, though necessary for the family finances, no longer offered enough compensation for the battleground my marriage had become.
'Alone Together' explored and illustrated how Virginia and Mike (who had very different priorities) when faced with conflict eventually learned to respect and accommodate each other and moved toward both space and togetherness. The significance of the story for me was not in the narrative. There was a reflective quality throughout the pages which made me realise that Virginia had achieved something I too sought. Somehow the author had managed to create an atmosphere so different from my own destructive relationship. It confirmed there was another way. Although it would include chaos and upheaval, I could change my life if I would only take the risk.
So I jumped! I said yes to a job in London and the distressing process of separation and dismantling joint lives began. The first six months were terrifying. The job was tough but manageable and in its own way exhilarating. Above all the sense of fear and tension was replaced by tentative optimism and hope.
Twenty two years and a few continents later, and accompanied by a silver-haired rogue with an irreverent attitude to life and enough generosity and kindness in his heart to encompass the world, my big adventure and new life continues.
The novel is still on the shelf, dog eared and yellowing, but it still represents the best £1.99 I ever spent.